HRH The Duchess of Cambridge to visit EACH hospice in Quidenham

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, who is East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) Royal Patron, will visit the charity’s Quidenham hospice on Tuesday, 24 January to see for herself why the nook appeal – which she helped launch in 2014 – is so vital.

The Duchess will tour the hospice and meet with children, young people and families as they take part in an art therapy session and use equipment in the sensory room.

She will also spend time with the staff and volunteers who work at Quidenham as they update Her Royal Highness on the nook appeal and EACH’s urgent need to raise funds.

The appeal aims to raise £10 million for a new purpose-built hospice – which will be known as the nook - at a five-acre site in Framingham Earl.

EACH’s current Norfolk hospice was opened in 1991 and, due to the increasing numbers of children with life-threatening conditions and complex healthcare needs visiting Quidenham, the hospice has now outgrown its current site.

The new hospice, closer to the centre of the county, will help to provide more families with the same facilities as those offered by the charity’s hospices for Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk.

EACH Chief Executive Graham Butland said: “We are very much looking forward to greeting Her Royal Highness once again, on what will be her first visit to our site in Quidenham.

"The Duchess will meet our fantastic staff and volunteers at Quidenham who work tirelessly with children and their families needing our services. They'll explain the difficulties they face as Quidenham has outgrown its home, and the huge difference a purpose-built modern hospice will make to the care they can provide to so many families.

“The nook appeal will transform children’s palliative care across Norfolk and we are moving ever closer to the halfway mark of £5 million.

“We still have some way to go before the new hospice can be built, though, and we need continued help from individuals, trusts and events, and as much corporate and community support as possible.”

Since becoming Royal Patron in 2012, The Duchess of Cambridge has played a vital role in raising awareness and understanding of children’s hospice services across East Anglia and the rest of the UK.

She supported EACH last year by opening its shop in Holt and by attending a gala dinner at Houghton Hall, in addition to providing written messages of support on two separate occasions.

EACH provides care and support for more than 750 children, young people and family members across the region, with 346 currently using its Quidenham hospice.

• Our Quidenham hospice has been an incredible home-from-home for almost 25 years, but we’ve outgrown the building. We need a purpose-built facility to meet the increased demand for our services and the changing and more complex needs of the children and young people we care for.

• We can’t develop the building more than we already have. Accessibility is really limited and there isn’t scope to expand.

• We’re unable to provide the same facilities in Norfolk as we do for Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk. Norfolk needs a 21st century building to benefit from 21st century care.

• We have planning permission for a 5-acre woodland site in Framingham Earl, five miles south of Norwich and closer to the centre of the county, local services, hospitals and road networks. The majority of families and staff will travel shorter distances to receive and deliver care.

• The nook will offer services unavailable or extremely limited at Quidenham, including:

- a far larger care area, all on a single floor
- more areas for clinical care and improved medical and nursing equipment
- fantastic activity areas for arts, crafts and play
- a hydrotherapy pool – something we don’t have the space for at Quidenham
- a large state-of-the-art sensory room
- a special quiet haven area for families
- dedicated therapy rooms and music studio
- larger and better equipped en-suite bedrooms for children and young people
- en-suite family accommodation rooms
- far more outside space for children to safely explore and play
- and facilities for family support groups, counselling, therapies and activities.

• We need to raise £10 million to make our vision a reality, while continuing to fund and provide services at Quidenham. We rely on donations for the majority of the income needed to deliver our services and all the funds required to build the nook. We need help from individual giving, trusts, events, and corporate and community fundraising. We need everyone to help in whatever way they can.

Renee loves going to The Treehouse, but it’s great that care staff are also able to visit us at home too.Stacy, Renee’s mum

The play specialists are excellent and I also get inspiration from the activities they organise.Heather, Lucy’s mum

EACH helped us with coping mechanisms and special ways of remembering Stanley.Brad, Stanley's Dad

I didn’t realise hope was a gift until I became a mum. My little boy taught me many things and that was one of themClaire, Jacob’s mum

EACH supports families when they’re at their absolute lowest, helping them to come to terms with their child’s illness, losing them and beyondBrad, Stanley's Dad

It’s been a great opportunity to meet other parents in a similar situation, something that doesn't really happen anywhere else.Helen, William’s mum

I can’t imagine what it would have been like. Nobody should have to, every family should be offered the support we were, and are still gettingClaire, Jacob’s mum

EACH has helped us keep Stanley’s memory alive. And allows us to look to the futureBrad, Stanley's Dad

EACH helps us to create lovely memories and has played an important part in all of our lives, not just Lucy’s.Heather, Lucy’s mum

When we first heard about the hospice we were apprehensive because we didn’t know what to expect. When we got there we realised it was a lovely place where Renee would be well looked after, and we would be able to have a much-needed break.Stacy, Renee’s mum

Children like Lucy don’t get the opportunity to go to sleepovers or to their friends for tea, so the interaction she has at the hospice is priceless.Heather, Lucy’s mum

We arrived at the hospice feeling scared and alone. We had so many questions – they answered them all and more.Claire, Jacob’s mum

We are also supported by the 24/7 True Colours nurses and it’s so reassuring knowing we can call on them whenever we need support or adviceHelen, William’s mum

I really love going to the hospice. I’ve made friends there and get to do loads of fun stuff.Renee